Arizona voters approved the creation of the Arizona Heritage Fund in 1990; The Heritage Fund originally allocated $10 million per year of Lottery monies to Game & Fish and another $10 million to State Parks. From 1991 to 2007, the State Parks Heritage Fund served our state well with its dedication to parks, outdoor recreation, open space, non-motorized trails, outdoor and environmental education, and historic preservation awarding 579 grants totaling $24,179,567 and supporting projects in every County in our State. However, as many of us remember, the State Parks portion of the Heritage Fund was defunded and eliminated from statute during the Great Recession.

The Arizona Heritage Alliance was formed in 1992 to help protect and educate about the Heritage Fund which was passed by Voter Initiative in 1990 with nearly a two-thirds majority of the vote. For the last decade the Heritage Alliance has been fighting to reinstate the State Parks Heritage Fund which was eliminated from statute in 2010 during budget negotiations, after 20 years of successful projects!! That’s a decade of lost income to Arizona’s communities. Game & Fish has continuously received their $10 million without a stop.

The Arizona Heritage Alliance Legislative Task Force has been working closely with our Sponsors Senator Kate Brophy McGee (LD28) and Representative Joanne Osborne (LD13). It is our hope that this Legislature restores the Fund after satisfying all other current encumbrances, and to bring the Fund back to effect in a responsible and deliberate manner.

Senator Kate Brophy McGee’s Senate Bill 1241 (state parks; heritage fund) puts the State Parks Heritage Fund back into statute. There is no dedicated funding attached to this bill, however when Lottery encumbrances are repaid and removed, it will receive its $10 million from the Lottery as intended. It will also open the door for grants, donations, and direct appropriations. This Bill flew through the Senate with a vote of 30-0. It is now in the House.

Representative Joanne Osborne’s House Bill 2701 (state parks;lottery; heritage fund) would restore the State Parks Heritage Fund with $10 million in annual funding from the Arizona Lottery as originally supported by Arizona voters in 1990. HB2701 went through the House and is currently in the Senate and will be included in the Budget process, because it has funding attached.

With the success of HB2701 & SB1241, the State Parks Heritage Fund will be back in statute which was the Voters’ original intent and the Fund will once again be whole and functioning, providing countless jobs, community pride, and potential for increased tourism to both city and rural areas.

If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to contact us at mail@azheritage.org or call 602-528-7500. Thank you for all your support. We can’t make this happen without you, so let’s do this!!!

Arizona parks and other public spaces could soon get millions of dollars of needed funding if one state lawmaker gets her way.

Rep. Joanne Osborne, R-Goodyear, is shepherding House Bill 2701, which would revive the now empty Arizona State Parks Heritage Fund that once gave millions each year to restoring and preserving parks, as well as maintaining and developing other outdoor areas. The bill passed a key committee vote Tuesday.

The fund was established by a voter initiative in 1990 that passed by a wide margin, but was drained during the Great Recession when the state was short on cash. At the time, the fund received $20 million annually and split that money between parks and wildlife preservation. The wildlife grant program, the Game and Fish Heritage Fund, remains funded through lottery money.

Before the parks fund was phased out in 2010, it received $10 million from state lottery money and was divvied up by a commission in a series of grants to cities that applied. This new bill would bring back the program into state statute and secure that lottery money.

Ever since the fund went away, both Democrats and Republicans have crafted bills in hopes of reviving it, but those never made it far at the Capitol because lawmakers couldn’t find room in the budget.

On Tuesday night, Osborn pitched the idea to a groggy House committee, which seemed delighted to talk about something everyone agreed on after bickering for hours over water law. During her presentation to the committee, Osborn called the bill “our bill,” a nod to the wave of support from voters in the ‘90s, and said the time to reinstate it was well past due.

A network of trails across Oracle State Park makes it a popular destination with hikers and mountain bikers. (Photo11: Roger Naylor/Special for the Republic)

“It really is our bill because there were many voters of the state that wanted this to go forward,” Osborne said, adding that this is the “last item from the recession to be put back into the lottery funding.”

This is Osborne’s first session at the Capitol and she chose to support this, she said, because she felt obligated to help preserve the heritage and history of the state her family has been in since the 1800s.

“It’s the people of Arizona that wanted this for so long and I’m happy to be able to put it (the fund) back in its rightful place,” Osborne told The Republic.

Osborne and Brophy McGee were approached by members of the Arizona Heritage Alliance, a non-profit aiming to protect the fund. The group searched for lawmakers who could likely pass the measure, after spending months earning support from state lottery and Game and Fish officials and other stakeholders. So far, both bills have earned near-unanimous support in committees, advancing farther than most in previous years. But regardless of that support, there appears to be no certainty of refilling the account right now. Even if the House bill passes, it won’t necessarily guarantee complete immediate funding because it relies on lottery money, which is still tied up in other financing. When the fund was swept away, it carried some debt to the lottery with it. If funding was secured, it could take many years to fully repay.

Without money, rural projects languish

The longer the fund remains dry, according Lani Lott, the Alliance’s executive director, the longer some projects in rural communities outside of the state’s larger counties could remain on hold. Lott said many local and regional parks haven’t been able to make improvements, many parks are needing deferred maintenance and new parks that are coming may also need help.

“Everything has just been kind of not moving forward on certain levels in terms of those historic preservation projects and other improvements,” Lott said, adding that some grants had to be given back.

“But we have a lot of support from organizations across the state who’ve all seen the value of the Heritage Fund when it was in place,” Lott said. “I think if people love parks, historic preservation, visiting state parks in Arizona, I’d encourage them to support this.”

The entrance to Slide Rock State Park in Sedona. (Photo11: Joseph Gedeon/AP)

The Heritage Alliance has worked with a handful of other environmental groups to see this through, but there are few people who have supported the program for as long as Sandy Bahr, director of the Sierra Club’s Grand Canyon Chapter. Tuesday’s hearing was one of many she’s attended to advocate for the fund’s revival, and has pushed for it long before she was an environmental lobbyist at the Capitol.

The fund is among a long list of programs and political interests grasping at the state’s budget surplus, which could also invest money into it if the lottery couldn’t otherwise. Bahr thinks the extra money helps push their case to jump-start the program and the bipartisan support so far has her and other advocates more optimistic than before that this could actually get done.

“There’s a greater understanding of the values it provided and can provide again,” Bahr said.

“What’s not to like?” she said. “It really is a fund that benefits communities throughout the state, both urban and rural communities, not just one area.”

Source: William C. Thornton Special to the Arizona Daily Star – February 21, 2019

Arizona’s legions of outdoor enthusiasts can all breathe a little easier. Sue Black’s tumultuous reign is over and there’s a strong steady hand on the tiller at Arizona State Parks and Trails. Bob Broschied came home to Arizona after serving five years as Executive Director of Colorado Parks and Wildlife. Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper described Bob as “an incredible leader with strong vision”. We’ve turned the page, but there’s an important lesson to be learned from the Sue Black era. With the job of Parks Director comes the awesome responsibility of managing natural and cultural resources for present and future generations. We must never again allow revenue generation to take priority over stewardship of the resource.

There’s more good news. The current legislative session offers the best opportunity in ten years to Restore the Parks Heritage Fund. The Arizona Parks Heritage Fund may be the best investment of lottery dollars many Arizonans never heard of. Enacted by voters in 1990, the Heritage Fund directed $20 million to be divided equally each year between State Parks and Game and Fish. Heritage fund grants often served as seed money for matching funds from other sources. Total yearly investment was typically more than double the direct $10 million appropriation.

Parks grants have built and improved trails, campgrounds, picnic facilities, boat docks and ramps. Historical restoration grants have helped preserve important parts of our rich cultural heritage including Flagstaff’s Riordan Mansion, Yuma’s Territorial Prison, and Tucson’s Mission San Xavier del Bac. Every community in our state has benefited from Parks Heritage Fund grants.

Heritage funded improvements to parks and historic sites helped attract 3.2 million visitors, about half from out of state, in 2018. That’s more than double the combined home game attendance of the Arizona Cardinals, ASU Sun Devils, and UA Wildcats. State Park visitors generate more than $300 million in economic activity each year in the mostly rural host communities. In response to the economic downturn and decline in tax revenue the legislature swept the remaining balance of the Parks Heritage Fund into the general fund and inexplicably eliminated the fund in 2011.

House Bill 2701 has its first committee hearing the week of February 19. Special thanks to lead sponsor Rep. Joanne Osborne, (R-District 13), and co-sponsors Andres Cano (D-Tucson), Regina Cobb (R-Kingman), Tim Dunn (R-District 13), Charlene Fernandez (D-Yuma), John Kavanagh (R-Fountain Hills), Ben Toma (R-District 22), and Sen. Sine Kerr (R-Buckeye). (Note: HB 2701 was heard on Tuesday, February 19 at the House Natural Resources and Energy Committee and passed unanimously. The bill will now be heard on Monday, February 25th by the House Appropriations Committee at 8:00 AM in HHR1.

We’re off to a good start but there are more hurdles to clear. Our state legislators need to hear from us. If you don’t know who’s representing you in Phoenix, the Arizona State Legislature’s website will guide you. See the Arizona Heritage Alliance website for up to date information.

William Thornton is a second generation Arizona native, lifelong outdoor enthusiast and conservationist, and member of the Arizona Heritage Alliance board.

On behalf of the entire Alliance Board, I am pleased to let you know that House Bill 2701 (HB2701) has been introduced to restore the Arizona State Parks Heritage Fund (“Fund”) with $10 million each year in Arizona Lottery funds (as originally conceived by Arizona voters in 1990). Sponsors of the bill are Representatives Osborne, Cano, Cobb, Dunn, Fernandez, Kavanagh, Toma and Senator Kerr.

HB 2701(state parks; lottery; heritage fund) has been assigned to the House Natural Resources and Energy Committee and is on the agenda to be heard this Tuesday, February 19 at 2:00 p.m. in HHR1. Here is a one page summary of HB2701 for your reference.

You can communicate your position through the Legislature’s Request to Speak (RTS) system. If you don’t have an account for the Legislature’s Request To Speak System, please link here for detailed instructions. You can also call or email the House Committee members directly and let them know you want them to SUPPORT HB 2701.

Senate Bill 1241 which was introduced earlier this month, restores the Fund, but only allows for grants, donations, and direct appropriations. SB1241, which received a 7-0 favorable vote of the Senate Natural Resources and Energy Committee, will now be heard by the Senate Appropriations Committee on Tuesday, February 19, 2019 at 2 p.m. in Senate Room 109. You can communicate your position by using the Legislature’s Request to Speak(RTS) systemor contact the following Senate committee members directly and let them know you want them to SUPPORT SB 1241.

From the time Arizona voters approved the creation of the Fund to the Great Recession when it was defunded and removed from statute, the Fund served our state well with its dedication to parks, outdoor recreation, open space, non-motorized trails, outdoor and environmental education, and historic preservation. It is our hope that this Legislature restores the Fund after satisfying all other current encumbrances, and to bring the Fund back to effect in a responsible and deliberate manner.

Thank you for all the work you do to improve our state’s quality of life and to support the reinstatement of the Arizona State Parks Heritage Fund. If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to contact us at mail@azheritage.org or call 602-528-7500.